Set Sail for Murder by R. T. Jordan Read Free Book Online Page A

couple dozen of the critters, mash their gummy little bodies in the Cuisinart, add a few other secret natural ingredients to the paste, and voilà! The way Miss Crawford yelled and slapped me—like she was swatting at a swarm of bees—you’d think I’d just plastered her puss with leeches! That’s a whole other recipe. She was so scary that I threw her a wet towel and scrammed out of the place! That’s what Talia heard and saw.”
    Drats!
Polly thought.
A semiplausible story!
“I’ll take a big jar of your snail pulp before I leave,” Polly said and lay back down to continue her massage. “You have to understand something about Laura Crawford. She was terrified of snails.”
    Rosemary liberally sprinkled sea salt crystals over Polly’s back, and with the circular motion of the palms of her hands she scrubbed the top layers of the star’s skin. “This will make you tingle for days,” Rosemary bragged.
    Although Polly wanted to completely give in to the sensual pleasure of the treatment, her thoughts were divided between snails and a killer loose on the ship. As Rosemary rearranged the sheet over Polly’s body to expose her left butt cheek, Polly asked, “Doesn’t a murder in this very room make you nervous about being alone with a client?” Polly felt Rosemary’s hands squeeze her bottom just a bit harder than necessary as she worked her thumbs into the tender flesh.
    “As a matter of fact, I am being extracareful,” Rosemary said. “I’m only accepting appointments from celebrities I know. Or in your case, who my grandparents can vouch for. I called them for a reference.”
    Polly’s buttocks involuntarily clenched.
    “Sorry. Too hard?”
    “You think that celebrities are incapable of murder?” Polly asked.
    “Nah! I watch
E!
just like everybody else,” Rosemary sniggered. “I know you all have your share of maniacs out there in La-La Land. But you guys are more likely to kill each other. Oh, and Miss Crawford got the ax in the room next door. It’s been sealed until we get to port and the police can do an investigation.”
    For a moment, Polly felt gypped that she wasn’t recreating Laura’s massage experience in the same location as her demise. “What if the killer thinks you saw him … or her? Doesn’t that scare you?”
    Rosemary stopped and thought for a moment. “As I told the captain and the chief of security, I didn’t see anything. I left the room because I felt in danger of Miss Crawford.”
    “Did you report the incident to anyone?”
    “Not at the time. The spa was actually officially closed. I was leaving when Miss Crawford arrived. I only agreed to take her because she tried to pull rank with one of those ‘Don’t you know who I used to be?’ threats, and said she knew people who knew people. How many times have I heard that line? Anyway, when she had her little fit about the face cream, I skipped out as fast as I could and went for a walk. And no, I didn’t see anyone I knew along the way. Then I came back and found …”
    Polly raised herself up on her elbow and pulled the sheet over her bosom. She looked at Rosemary. “So you don’t have an alibi. Tell me, did you smear Miss Crawford’s face with that smelly junk on purpose because she was a difficult patron?”
    “It’s not smelly, it’s not junk, and I don’t need an alibi. You’re insulting me. Wait’ll I tell Nana!”
    Polly continued gazing at Rosemary, who was wipingher hands on a towel. “Of course you aren’t the killer. I never thought so. But what about that Talia person? D’ya think she saw anyone who might be suspicious?”
    Rosemary chuckled. “As I said, the spa was closed. The so-called client that Talia was with was some rich guy. With every voyage she finds someone new to have an affair with. Cameras are everywhere, so she can’t go to their rooms. It’s easier to have her rendezvous here. Talia makes so much noise on her own, it’s a miracle she even heard Miss Crawford